Is Free VPNs Secure?

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HarisTanveer
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Joined: Tue Jan 23, 2018 7:46 am

Is Free VPNs Secure?

#1 Post by HarisTanveer »

Hello guys,
I am a streaming lover and love to stream my favorite content worldwide. My focus is to secure myself while streaming my favorite content online,
Here i was looking for some best free VPN services of 2018 it is because to protect myself from cyber threats / cyber crimes.
So, i am trying to figure out which Free VPN providers are best in security perspective.
Here i found the detailed guide on best free vpn services of 2018.
This guide gathered the list of best [link removed by administrator, laced with ads for product] services for Android, Netflix, iPhone, Mac, Torrenting, Windows, Reddit, Chrome, Gaming, Download links and many more.
My point is, is free VPNs secure? i read somewhere that "if you're not paying for a product, then you're the product".
So, should i go with free VPN ?
Which VPN provider is best ?
Need your suggestions.
I got the 5 Best Free VPN Services, they are:
1. Windscribe
2. TunnelBear
3. Security Kiss
4. Proton VPN
5. Hide Me VPN

clicktician
Posts: 136
Joined: Sat May 02, 2015 4:35 pm

Re: Is Free VPNs Secure?

#2 Post by clicktician »

I went through this search last year. After reviewing many of them, I decided to pay for a VPN. I was not happy with the logging on the free ones (yes, they log your traffic even if they say they don't). Most did not have linux support, and they were sloooooow compared to their pay siblings. Speed was a huge consideration because a typical VPN is about 1/5 - 1/3 slower than open traffic. Yes, you are the product. Some inject ads in http, and some do not allow https traffic (an immediate red flag that your content is being mined). I would never use a VPN that doesn't use Linux open source clients (like openVPN). They are most certainly inspecting/modding your traffic before it's encrypted.

My purpose was for roaming on networks that were not my own and hence I had to treat them as unsecure. Ultimately, I went with one that had an Android client that could VPN any device tethered to my phone (a setup I use often), and worked well as a guest on hotel/coffee shop WiFi. I also wanted to be able to select applications/processes that would be routed through the VPN and leave others open. Speed was my primary concern. I only wanted to slow down apps that needed protection and leave others unfettered. The free ones didn't offer this.

I wanted minimal virtual servers and the free ones use them by the bucket load. Virtual is where the IP is registered in say Belgium, but the physical server is actually in Chicago. It's not uncommon to see dozens of IPs that are dotted all over the world, but physically they're on the same box in Dallas. This is junk.

But the free ones can be useful. Most people don't care about securing the content of their traffic, I as I do. They're actually looking to mask its origin especially if you are using streaming media like Netflix or using Kodi. But this, too, is where the pay services shine. Many provide Socks proxies which are much faster than VPN. They don't encrypt anything, they just make it look like you are in say Perth, Australia or you never left the US.

Lastly, I didn't want a VPN company in the US or any other nation that required logging. I ultimately settled on Hong Kong which is not subject to the logging regs of China -- yet!
Son, someday all this will belong to your ex wife.

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Mauser
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Re: Is Free VPNs Secure?

#3 Post by Mauser »

HarisTanveer wrote:
Free VPN's entities are usually the ones you want to hide your information from and looks and logs all your traffic which defeats the purpose of a VPN unless you are using it to get around censorship.
Get a paid VPN as they don't cost much. As for the best VPN there are all differences of opinions. I use Astrill VPN in Stealth mode which uses double 256 bit encryption without logs. It costs me $60 a year.
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anticapitalista
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Re: Is Free VPNs Secure?

#4 Post by anticapitalista »

http://www.stopforumspam.com/search

Found 3 entries for "HarisTanveer"
anticapitalista
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richb
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Re: Is Free VPNs Secure?

#5 Post by richb »

anticapitalista wrote:http://www.stopforumspam.com/search

Found 3 entries for "HarisTanveer"
Thanks for checking.. I removed the link as the site has product ads promoting a particulat vpn.
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rickc
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Joined: Tue Jan 23, 2018 5:01 pm

Re: Is Free VPNs Secure?

#6 Post by rickc »

I use windscribe. I only need a VPN very occasionally, so this free service (with limited data) is ideal for me.

At best I'm no more than average with linux, but this is really easy to install and use compared to the others I've looked at. For the 2gb data free option, you don't even register an email address with them. If you do, you get 10gb

I couldn't get tunnelbear working on linux (it's meant to, I just wasn't clever enough!), although it's great on windows if you only need occasional use.

As for what's safe and what isn't....I'm not a techie but the free ones also offer a pay service. In other words, I'm not sure simply comparing "free v paid" will get you a decent answer. I'm sure what I use would be no safer if I paid....I'd just be able to use it a lot more. But I like that Windscribe doesn't have my name, email and bank details. I'd prefer they weren't based in the UK or USA....but they are and it works well enough. Probably some degree of risk, less so compared to not using one.

waldmattis
Posts: 254
Joined: Sat May 28, 2016 6:17 pm

Re: Is Free VPNs Secure?

#7 Post by waldmattis »

Hi rickc,
windscribe is situated in Canada, which is one of the "Five Eyes".

Wikipedia says:
"The Five Eyes, often abbreviated as FVEY, is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States."

History shows, that in these states internet privacy is not appreciated.
I myself would never use a cloud or VPN hosted in one of these countries.

I tested a handful VPNs and my recommandation is cyberghostVPN.
Currently the pricing is 10,- € per computer and year.
Look at ebay for even cheaper pricing.

Important: Do not forget to turn off IPv6 and turn off WEBrtc in your browser or every VPN will be compromised.

Do not hesitate to contact me, if you have questions.
Regards
Karl

rickc
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Joined: Tue Jan 23, 2018 5:01 pm

Re: Is Free VPNs Secure?

#8 Post by rickc »

waldmattis wrote:Hi rickc,
windscribe is situated in Canada, which is one of the "Five Eyes".

Wikipedia says:
"The Five Eyes, often abbreviated as FVEY, is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States."

History shows, that in these states internet privacy is not appreciated.
I myself would never use a cloud or VPN hosted in one of these countries.

I tested a handful VPNs and my recommandation is cyberghostVPN.
Currently the pricing is 10,- € per computer and year.
Look at ebay for even cheaper pricing.

Important: Do not forget to turn off IPv6 and turn off WEBrtc in your browser or every VPN will be compromised.

Do not hesitate to contact me, if you have questions.
Regards
Karl
Cheers Karl, I'll mull it over. My issue is that I only use it with Tor, and only for about 20 mins a month. Doesn't seem worth paying.

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MichealHeitz
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Re: Is Free VPNs Secure?

#9 Post by MichealHeitz »

They sure are...I am using free VPNs for some time and haven't got any issues.... YET

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Wendell_Burnett
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Re: Is Free VPNs Secure?

#10 Post by Wendell_Burnett »

Free VPN only can access you to restriction website but didn't keep your browsing anonymously. That's why I will never suggest you use free VPN. I'm an Australian citizen and I'm using CyberGhost VPN for gaming purpose its is the best cheap VPN for Australia to play games. I will recommend you to use paid VPN for anonymous browsing.

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